Fashion Can Bite: 2nd Story in the Fashion Series
by InLoveWEric
Summary: Eric and Sookie have made it New York and planning on starting their lives. But threats, skeletons and even some not to unpleasant things are waiting around every corner. What will our favorite couple do with everything that is being thrown at them? Come join them as we follow them through the second story of the Fashion Series. AH M-for a reason...
1. Introduction

Eric and Sookie have made it New York and planning on starting their lives. But threats, skeletons and even some not to unpleasant things are waiting around every corner. Will they be able to combat all the obstacles that seem to be piling up around them? Or will the stress, pain and complications be too much for our couple to endure? Follow along as Eric and Sookie learn to juggle careers, home life, family oh and being known as Manhattan Royalty and heading up one of the largest privately owned companies in the country.

Journey with me as we follow the whole gang as they find out that Fashion sometimes really can BITE.

This story is the second season, if you will, of the Fashion Series. If you haven't read Deathly Fashion Sense, this story will make little sense to you. You can find the story by going to my profile.

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	2. Chapter 1

**A/N This story is a continuation of Deathly Fashion Sense. If you haven't read that story, this one will make no sense to you. You can find the prequel to this on my profile and my blog (link on my profile as well).**

**As always, I would love to thank my partner in crime, Sephrenia. Without her help and support, none of this would be possible. **

**I own nothing but my crazy imagination. **

**So, without further ado, allow me to welcome you to chapter 1 of Fashion Can Bite… **

Chapter 1 Speak of the Devil….

****0***

New York is usually loud. But on this night, it is louder than normal. In several different parts of the city, at exactly the same time, several shots ring out in unison. The damage they do will be immeasurable.

*******0******

EPOV

We pull up in front of the loft and stop.

I wait for Hagan to get out first and then I follow. Clancy had told me about the problem with the security gate. Evidently, the gate to get into the building was jammed. The gate to get out, however, was working fine. The maintenance people were there and wouldn't allow us to enter through the exit. I think I'll need to talk to the maintenance company in the morning. I don't like the idea of Sookie having to walk in the cold tonight. Though, I'm sure that they pulled right up front, it still makes me uneasy. My darling girl shouldn't have to be cold for one single second. I smile at myself knowing that she would scold me for pampering her so much. I truly believe that no matter how much pampering I give her, she'll never become accustom to it. Maybe that's one of the reasons I love her so much. She will always be real and true. I pray to anyone who is listening that will never change.

I make my way to the door flanked by security when I hear my name.

"Mr. Northman." I hear.

I turn to see Masters coming toward me.

"Yes?" I ask him.

"Sir, we were just about to call you. I was sent down to check on the gate and to move a vehicle." He says. I'm about to ask what he's talking about when he continues. "Ms. Stackhouse had someone waiting for her when she arrived." He says. "Setto wants you and Hagan upstairs immediately. There have been some other developments with the Compton situation as well."

I don't even wait to hear who this person is or anything else to do with Compton. If they are concerned about security, then I need to get up to my Sookie. I take off at a run with Clancy right behind me.

I nod to the doorman as I go through and am up in the elevator before Hagan can join us. I know he's probably going to give me 'what for' for not waiting for him. But I don't care. Who the hell would be waiting for my girl this late at night. The guard didn't say it was family or one of our friends. If it was, he would say so and why is this damn elevator taking so long?

I hear the ding of the door and barrel out into the hallway before Clancy has time to check it out first.

"Sookie!" I yell.

"We're in here." I hear her sweet voice.

I follow the sound of it into the living room. When I turn the corner, I see a woman sitting in one of the side chairs and Sookie sitting with her back to me on the couch. As I come around to see her. I see the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.

Sookie looks up at me smiling. "Hi," she says softly.

I look from her to the woman and then back again.

"Sookie," I say softly as I lean into the arm of the couch and place an arm around her. Trying as hard as I can not to jostle her. "What…"

She smiles again. "Eric, this is Hadley, my cousin." She says.

I look over at the woman who is looking at Sookie with tears in her eyes.

I have no idea what is going on but I'm about to get to the bottom of it.

***0***

Pam's POV

I need to think fast. I have no idea what is up with him or why he's doing this. But I need to find a way out of this mess for both Franny and I. Hopefully without anyone getting hurt.

"Quinn, think about this." I say to him putting my hands up in front of me. Trying to speak in an even and calm voice. That's what they say to do when you are dealing with crazy people, right? You need to keep calm so they stay calm. "You don't want to do anything that you can't take back."

"Shut your filthy mouth, you bitch!" He growls at me. Okay, so the calm voice isn't working to well. "If you don't, I'll pop you in the mouth for good measure." Nope, not working at all.

He's screaming at the top of his lungs now. Why the hell isn't anyone looking out there windows? Oh yeah. One it's fucking December. Two, this is New York. Hell, a fucking grenade could go off in the streets and no one would flinch. Fuck, what can I do now?

"John, honey," Franny says trying to move past me. "You…you need to put the gun down, okay? Come on. This isn't you. Why don't we go somewhere and talk. You don't want to hurt me or Pam." Her voice sounds just as calm as mine was. But I can tell by the way she's holding herself. She is as scared as I am.

He shakes his head. "You don't understand, Franny. You can't have anything to do with them. They're evil!"

"Honey, you need to stop waving that gun around." Fran moves a little closer to him. "You are going to hurt someone. I know you, big brother," she says softly moving another step closer. "You would never forgive yourself if you hurt someone."

He shakes his head again. "Franny, you don't understand…" He growls at her. "You can't be with them. They will corrupt you. They will steal your soul. They stole Momma's and Daddy…Daddy…" He says softly. "I need you to stay away from them. You can't…I…I…you…" He's not making any sense now. For the first time since this whole ordeal started, I think maybe Quinn is on something. What else could be the reason?

"John…." Fran starts to say.

But before she can finish, I hear footsteps coming up on us fast. "I see a gun." I hear someone say. "JOHN QUINN!" I hear from down the street. "Drop the GUN!"

Quinn turns slightly and points the gun in the opposite direction. I don't have time to think. I just grab Franny and pull her down to the ground as the shots go off. I'm not sure how many rounds were fired. Between the noise and Franny's screaming, I couldn't hear much.

The firing quickly stops but not Franny. She is screaming even louder and trying to get up.

"Honey, stay down." I say to her and hold her tighter.

"One down," I hear a man say. "Charges are secure, repeat, charges are secure." I look up to see a man coming near us. I remember him from when I was younger. Sampson, his name is Sampson.

"Ms. Pam, we need to move you and Ms. Quinn to a secure place. The police are on their way." He says to me.

Franny has stopped screaming some but she is still a little shaky.

"How?" I ask. I'm not really sure what to say or what to ask. How and Why pretty much cover all my questions at this time.

"We got a call from your brother's security. But we will speak about that later. We were coming to find you and Ms. Quinn. Your cell phone is not on, Ms. Pam." I go to look but Sampson puts his hand on my arm. "We need to get you both off the street."

I nod and go to help Franny up. Sampson takes my lead and assists me with her. She turns to look at me. But before we can stop her, I know she sees Quinn on the ground along with two other guards.

"John…John…..JOHN!" She screams and goes to run to him.

Sampson catches her. "Ms. Quinn, please let us do our job. When the police and ambulance get here, we will deal with the rest." He says. "For right now, allow me to escort you to the townhouse and then we can go from there."

"That…that's my brother." She says to him and then looks at me.

"He was going to shoot you, Ms. Quinn." He says to her.

She shakes her head. "You don't know that." She says. "He was upset and confused, he would never…"

She looks from me to Sampson. "He would never…" She says again.

"Miss, let's get you into the house where it's safe. Then we can talk, okay?" He asks her.

I pull her close to me as Sampson leads up out into the street and around the body. I purposely don't look at it. I'm not sure if he's dead or alive. All I know is that he would have killed me. The big question is why. Why would he hurt me and probably his sister? What had my family done that was so bad that Quinn hated me so much?

I hear Fran start to whimper again. In the distance, I hear the sounds of sirens and know they are coming this way. Pulling her closer to me, I decide that all these questions can be answered later. Right now, Franny needs me and I'm damn well going to be there for her.

***0***

SPOV

I smile from Eric to the little cherub in my arms. "Isn't he beautiful?" I ask the room.

I couldn't believe what I saw when I heard my name called when we got back to the loft.

"_Sookie?" I hear a sweet voice say._

_I turned to see her standing there. I hadn't seen her in so long but there was no mistaking who it was._

"_Hadley," I say softly._

_I look her over and see that she's carrying a, what is she carrying?_

"_Sookie, I really need to talk to you." She says to me._

"_Hadley is that…" I point to the carrier._

_She nods. "Yeah and he's only a few months old. It isn't good for him to be out in the cold like this. Can we talk, please. Sookie…I…I need to talk to you."_

_I sigh. If she didn't have a baby with her, I would probably tell her to wait in the lobby until Eric came. But we have security and we have people upstairs. She's right. The baby can't be out in this weather._

_I nod to her and then look at Setto. "She's coming up with us." I say to him._

"_Sookie…" He says to me._

"_Setto, search her, frisk her, call in more guards. Do what you need to. But that baby," I point to her, "is not staying out one more second in the cold. Please, just make this happen."_

_He nods to me. "Fine," he says and pulls out his phone. No doubt to get more guards._

"_Come on, Hadley," I say to her looking her up and down. She isn't exactly dressed for a New York winter night. The jacket she's wearing doesn't look like it could hold out any more than a light wind in Florida. "You are going to catch your death."_

_She smirks and mumbles something that sounds like it's a little late for that._

_I ignore her and start walking toward the door. When the elevator is opened, we are met with Tristan and Wolf. They nod in Setto's direction and then move aside so that Hadley and I can enter. The door closes and I see Hadley place the carrier down on the floor to readjust her bags. Tristan, seeing this, takes the bags from her. She looks at him for a moment and then nods. She looks at me and I see that her eyes are sunken in. Like she hasn't slept in weeks. Maybe she hasn't. I'm about to ask her why she looks so tired but decide that all the questions can wait until we are inside. Everyone is silent the whole way up. _

_When the doors open again, I walk out and motion for Hadley to follow me. "This way." I say to her. She picks up the carrier and follows me._

"_Your elevator opens into your apartment?" She asks._

_I laugh. "Yeah, it's a little strange but you get used to it." I say._

_Turning the corner into the living area, I see Tammy, MaryBeth and Clara all waiting for us._

"_Miss?" Tammy asks me._

"_Ladies, this is my cousin, Hadley." I say to them. "Hadley, this is my assistant Tammy, my personal assistant and Doula, Marybeth, and Clara, our chef and head of house," I smile at them. "They help me keep my head." They all smile back. "I couldn't do a thing without them." _

"_Um…hi," Hadley says and looks at me. "You…you have a lot of people helping you, don't you?" _

_I nod at her. "Let's sit. Do you want anything?" I ask._

"_Um…some water, please." She says and goes to sit in a chair and puts the carrier down beside her._

_She pulls the blanket back and I see the little round face of a sleeping baby. _

"_Ohhh," I say and move closer._

_Hadley looks up and smiles at me. "Would you like to hold him?" She asks._

_I nod. _

_She takes him out and hands him to me. He is so small. I know that Hadley said that he was little. But I didn't know how little. _

"_He sleeps really well," she says softly._

_I nod and touch the side of his face. "He's beautiful." I say to her._

"_Miss," I hear Clara say as she hands Hadley a glass of water. _

_She thanks her but I can't take my eyes off the little one. I hear rustling around us and I can see that Marybeth has come to sit beside me. But I still can't take my eyes off the little one._

"_Sookie!" I hear Eric._

"_In here." I say._

_I hear him come in but don't hear anything else around us. My entire focus is on him._

"Sookie, what is going on?" Eric asks me.

I look up and see Hadley looking at us with tears in her eyes. She sniffles and looks from me to Eric.

"I…I'm sorry to come here in the middle of the night. But I saw your pictures on the TV today and I…" She shakes her head and I can tell that there is a lot going on in her mind. "I…I don't know where to start." She says softly.

"Hadley, why don't you start from the beginning." I say to her.

"Why don't you start with this little one, Ms. Norris." Eric says.

She looks up at him and I do at the same time. His voice isn't as gentle as it always is.

"Eric," I say softly.

He sighs. "I…forgive me, Sookie. After what you told me about your cousin, forgive me for being a little wary."

"Eric, I…" I start to say.

"No, Sookie, that's fair." Hadley says. "I deserve his ire and more." She says. "Mr. Northman, I didn't come here to cause trouble. I promise you that I am here for him." She points to the baby.

"Then by all means, Ms. Norris," He says to her. "Please tell us what this is all about." He says and looks back at me. I know he is being hard for a reason. I'm just not really comfortable with it. Especially when I'm holding this angel in my arms. It feels perfect and right. Like he was made to sit be here right now, in my arms.

Hadley sighs and then sits back a little. "I won't go into everything." Eric is about to speak with Hadley puts her hand up. "That didn't come out right. Please, I don't want to hide anything from you and I will answer any questions you have. But it's late and I want to get to the reason I'm here." She pauses. I take my eyes off the baby to look at my cousin. I haven't seen her in years and I would know her anywhere. But she almost looks like a skeleton of herself. Her eyes are not the only thing that looks sunken in. I wonder why I didn't notice that out on the street? Could it have been, I don't know, shock? Could have been. Hell, you speak of the devil and they appear, right? I still can't believe Hadley is sitting in my living room after all these years.

"Sookie, I need to apologize. I need…I need to make amends to you, to Gran and even to Jason. I was rotten all those years ago. I should have listened to Gran. But I didn't and I got myself in a world of hurt."

I sniffle back. "Gran just passed, Hadley." I say to her.

She looks at me and I see the tears start again. "What?" She says softly.

I nod. "It was…it was peaceful. She went in her sleep." I say softly. "She…she knew that she was ready. I miss her terribly but she was ready to go home."

Hadley sniffs back and shakes her head. "Well, I guess I missed the boat on that one." She says. "Hell, I've missed the boat on a lot of things." She looks down for a moment. The baby stirs so I look down at him. He opens his eyes wide and looks at me. I can't help but smile at him.

Hadley looks up and sees that he's awake. "He..uh…he may be hungry," she says and looks for the bags that Tristan took. She rises and goes to one. Before we can say anything two men who I'm assuming are guards are on her sides and looking down at her.

"We'll take that." One says.

"It…it's just baby stuff." She says.

He nods and puts his hand out for the bag.

She sighs and hands it to him. "There is a bottle of formula in the front." She looks at me. "He…he would do better with breast milk, but…" She sighs again. "I might as well get to the crust of things."

The man hands her the bottle. Cara takes it from him to warm it. We are quiet as we hear her moving around the kitchen. When she returns, I reach for it without even thinking. Cara hands it to me and smiles. Hadley doesn't say a word but nods in my direction. I look down at the little one in my arms and smile as he takes the bottle eagerly.

"So…Sookie, I saw your picture on the news show this morning announcing your engagement. I honestly thought it was a gift from God."

"Why is that, Ms. Norris?" Eric asks.

"Hadley, please, just call me Hadley." She says.

"Hadley, why did you think it was a gift?" I ask her a little softer. I haven't taken my eyes off the little one as he eats.

"Sookie, Mr. Northman…I…I'm sick." I instantly look up at her.

"What?" I ask her.

She shrugs. "I've been a fuck up my whole life, Sookie. You can't live the way I have without consequences. My mouth has been writing checks for a long time that my ass couldn't cash." She looks down. "Life has finally caught up with me."

"What?" I ask her. "What do you mean you're sick? Why aren't you in a hospital?"

"Sookie, I've got aids." She says.

I look from her the baby and back to her again. "Is he…"

"No, oh thank God, no!" She says. "I don't know why. The doctor's don't know why either. He was perfect from the moment he was born. They monitored everything really closely. He was a perfect little baby." She smiles. "He was a month early, but they were expecting that. They tested me all through the pregnancy and were ready for the delivery. MY…my water broke but I had an emergency c-section and he was fine." She smiles softly.

"If he's fine then…" I trail off.

"I made a choice, Sookie. The cocktail they wanted to put me on could have caused him harm. I had a choice to make and I made it."

I shake my head and look at Eric. "I…I don't understand."

"Sookie," Hadley says. "He was a gift. I didn't look at him as a mistake or a burden. Hell, I didn't think that it was even a bad idea to have a baby." She looks down. "I'm not my mother. I saw him as a chance to do something good with my life. He was going to be my reason to turn over a new leaf. Start my life fresh and make amends for every rotten thing I'd ever done in my life. I wanted to be momma. I really did." She says softly and then looks back at us. "When they told me of the possible side effects to the drugs, it wasn't even a choice. I wasn't going to do anything that could cause him harm. The doctors tried to talk me into it taking the drugs. They said that that there was a chance that nothing would happen to him. But I couldn't take that chance. He was my salvation and I wasn't about to be selfish again. This time I was going to put someone ahead of me."

"So, you risked your health for him?" Eric asks.

She shrugs. "After they stopped trying to force me to take the meds, the doctors…they…they put me in this new kind of a trial." She rolls her eyes. "It was more like research, really. But I and he got the best care." She smiles. "When he was born…" She clears her throat. "When he was born, they told me that they weren't sure what they could do for me at that point. I…I was pretty far gone. But they are trying. But I knew that the trial was more for research on the children we were having than anything else. There were five of us in the trial. I was the last to deliver. One…one of the babies has HIV. The rest…the rest are perfectly normal." She shrugs. "That is all we wanted for our babies anyway." She smiles softly. "I wanted him to be healthy."

We are quiet for a moment. The only noise is the little grunts coming from the cherub as he sucks on the bottle.

Finally, Eric is the one that breaks the silence.

"So why are you here, if you baby is healthy? Is there something that you need for him? Is that why you are here?" He asks.

"I need something for him. But I don't think it is what you're thinking." Hadley says.

"You haven't shown your face to Sookie or any of the Stackhouses for years. You show up here, now, with a child and tell us you are sick. Why didn't you go home to Gran when you found out about him?" Eric asks.

Hadley shakes her head. "I…I was too ashamed." She says softly. "I didn't think she would take me back."

"Oh," I say and look up at her. "You know that Gran would have never turned you away." I say to her.

She smiles and nods. "I suppose I do."

"Then, I must ask again, Hadley. Why now?" Eric asks.

She smiles softly again. "I can tell that you love her and you want to protect her." She says to him. "Sookie always brought the best out in people. Everyone loved her." She pauses. "That isn't a reason, I know. But…I wish…I wish I could go back in time and listen to Gran. Take Jason up on being my brother and protector. Like he was for Sookie. I wish a lot of things. But if I went back, I wouldn't have had the pleasure and honor of bringing that little guy into the world." She looks at the baby who is still eating. My he is a hungry one.

"To answer your question, Mr. Northman, I need someone to be his family." I look up at Hadley and she has tears in her eyes. "I…I had an appointment this morning. I…I'm not getting any better." She shakes her head. "The…the doctors say I don't have much time. I…I haven't got anyone else. The only family I have is…is Sookie and Jason. God," she stands and goes to the windows. "I…I didn't think it was going to be this hard." She looks out the windows. "I…I have fucked up my life. I don't…don't want to do that to my kid. I…I want him to have a life, a future…things I wouldn't ever be able to get for him. Hell, I'm a stripper!" She turns to me. "I'm not ashamed of that. Hell, it's kept a roof over my head for years. But…but I want more for my kid. I want him to have a life with loving parents and all that comes with it." She looks at both of us. "I…if I wait any longer, the…the state will…." She shakes her head. "I won't let him go into the system. I…I can't do that. He's so small and weak. I …I can't." She coughs a few times. Walking over to one of the men that had her bag, she raises her hand. "There are wipes in there, may I have them please?"

He looks in the bag and hands them to her.

She smiles meekly, "thank you."

She looks back at us. "I…I would like to give him to you," she says softly. "When I saw the two of you on the news….I….I knew. I just knew that this was the answers to my prayers."

"What about the father?" Eric asks.

She half cough and half laughs. "The father didn't even want to be put on the birth certificate. But it doesn't matter. He's dead." She says. "He…he got himself mixed up in some really nasty stuff. I…I thought he was, but well," she shrugs. "Let's just say that he screwed the wrong person and paid for it with his life."

I look at Eric and back at the baby. Lifting him, I put him on my shoulder but not before Marybeth places a cloth under him. I smile my thanks and look back at Hadley. "I…I don't know what to say." I say to her.

She sighs. "Say you will take him, Sookie. Say you will love him and make him your own."

"What do you want in return?" Eric asks.

I look over at him. I get he doesn't trust her. I understand the hostility. But now he is bordering on cruel. I love my loving Eric. Business Eric is hot as hell. This one, well, I'm not sure what I think about him. I can tell what this is doing to Hadley. He doesn't have to compound the issue. Not that cruelly, anyway.

"I…I don't want anything, Mr. Northman." She says. "I'll sign anything you want me to sign. I'll do what you need me to do. All…all I want is for him to be taken care of."

I put a hand on Eric's arm. He looks down at me and I plead with my eyes for him to have some compassion. I can't think of how I would be if I knew I had to give my child up. Even if it was for all the right reasons. It would still break me in ways I never knew I could be broken. In that moment, I know exactly what Hadley is feeling. I try to tell him that and so much more with my eyes.

He closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Hadley," Eric says. "You have to excuse me, but I…I'm just not convinced that you will be willing to give this child up without something in return."

"Eric," I say to him.

He looks down at me. "Sookie, you only just told me about your cousin. The picture you painted was not a pretty one." He raises an eyebrow challenging me. I say nothing but nod my head. He turns back to Hadley. "I am only looking out for the welfare of my family, Hadley. How do we even know this is your son?"

She looks over at the man again. "There is a manila envelope in there." She points to the bag. The guard looks in the bag again and takes out the envelope. "In there is all the hospital records, the babies records and the reports from the trial and research team." She says.

The guard hands the envelope to Setto and he starts to look at the paperwork. "I don't expect anyone to trust me, Mr. Northman. Hell, if I showed up on my doorstep, I would be suspicious too. But this isn't about me or what I want. Hell, if I had what I wanted, I would have never gotten sick. But we all play the hand we're dealt." She goes to sit back down. "I…I just need to know that when the time comes, I did what I could for my boy."

I look at the baby and then back at Eric. He is so soft and warm. He is asleep again but I can't bring myself to put him down. I need to hold him. It's as if mine and his life depended on it.

I look up at Eric. Pleading him with my eyes again. I can't think of this baby going back with Hadley or anywhere else. He seems to fit. Eric's eyes go a little soft when he looks at me this time. I can tell he's thinking the same thing I am.

He looks up at Setto who is standing very close to us. I see Eric's head nod slightly. What silent discussion is going on, I don't seem to be privy to at the moment. But if Eric knows what's good for him, he'll tell me when this is all over.

"Ms. Norris," Setto says. "You understand that the information you told us will need to be verified and we will need you to meet with the family lawyers."

I look from Setto to Eric. "We…we can…" I choke up.

"Sookie, I want you to stay calm okay." Eric says and puts one hand on the baby's head and the other on my belly. "It won't do anyone any good if you get yourself all upset." I lean into his touch. The connection we are making with the baby between us just feels, well perfect.

"Oh GOD!" I hear Hadley say.

I look over at her.

"You…you're pregnant." She says softly.

I nod slowly.

She shakes her head. "Shit, shit…"

She goes to stand.

"Hadley, what…"

"You don't want to do this when you…you're going to have…." She stutters.

"Ms. Norris, please sit down." Eric says standing when she does.

She shakes her head. "You have your own family, you won't…."

"Eric," I say with a little panic in my voice and pull the baby a little closer to me. I can't let him go now. I…I just can't.

"It's okay, Love," he says to me trying to sooth me. But the thought of Hadley leaving here with him just fills me with such dread I can't stand it.

"Mr. Norris, Sookie is indeed with child," Setto says coming to stand on the other side of the couch. "But that has no bearing on this situation."

"The hell it doesn't." She shouts and the baby jumps. I start to rock him gently to sooth him. Hadley looks over at me and her eyes fill again with tears.

"Shhhh," I say to him as I rock him. "It's okay, sweetie, shhhh."

"Is he okay?" Eric asks.

I nod and look up at Hadley who is taking me and Eric in. A look comes over her face that I can't describe. I've never seen it before. As quickly as it comes, it changes. She slowly sits back in her chair.

"As I said, we will want to check all this information out. I take it…" Setto looks to Eric. "I take it you plan on staying in the city until all this can be sorted out?" He asks her.

She shrugs. "I…I hadn't thought that far." She says softly. "The only thought I had was to get here and find my cousin. But now…now, I don't know how this all going to work."

"Like I said," Setto says. "One situation has nothing to do with the other. Now do you wish for Mr. Northman and Miss Sookie to have the child?" He says.

She looks at us for a long moment. Eric has moved to sit next to me. He has one arm over my shoulder and the other around the front of me and holding the baby with me.

She slowly nods and lets out a long sigh. "I…if they would be willing to consider it. I really have no other choice in the matter."

"Well, we will see to it that you have a place to stay." Eric says.

"Ca…can he…can he stay with us?" I ask looking at Hadley.

"Sookie I…" Hadley begins.

"Hadley, you look so tired. I know taking care of a baby can't be easy." I say in a rush. "Even if you weren't sick, it would be tiresome." She nods and lets out a large breath. "Please, I've got a house full of help and more if I need it. Let us take care of him. That is what you want, isn't it?" I ask her.

She nods again.

I smile. "Then let Eric's men take you to get some rest. We will get all we need in the morning and we can figure out what's best for…" I look at her. "I…I didn't ask his name."

She smiles. "I…I named him after Gramps and Gran's father; Alexsander Huntington."

I smile at her and then lower the baby so I can see his face. "Hi baby Sander."

**A/N So…. Let me know what you think. **


	3. Chapter 2

A/N Just to let you know, that I'm on vacation this week. Also, I'm working on a entry for I write the songs. As soon I am able I will post it. It will be a mini multi-chapter and I hope you like it.

So, updates will be few this week. Hoping to have at least two, but can't promise. Internet coverage in the woods is sparse.

So please enjoy this next chapter and tell me what you think

Chapter 2 Cops, Cries and Crazies, Oh MY

***0***

Pam's POV

Since we returned to the townhouse, my beautiful Franny has been wrapped in my arms. She's finally stopped crying, but I'm not sure if she's calming down or in shock. Once I have a moment to think, I'm going to call Dr. Ludwig to see if she can tell me what to do. Maybe she'll agree to come over and take a look at her. Hell, maybe she'll take a look at me. I've never had to take care of someone before. I never really cared about anyone enough to take care of them, if I'm completely honest with myself. Sure, I cared about my family, but Daddy was really never there and didn't need taken care of,not until the end, at least. Then he really didn't want any help. Momma needed help, but I was too damn angry with her for making me leave New York to think about what was best for her. Eric didn't seem to mind leaving the Big Apple, but I did. It was my home, it was where my friends were and where my Daddy was. I may have looked like I didn't care, but I so wanted to be Daddy's little girl. Sure, he gave me whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it, but that was just money and things. I wanted my Daddy's time. I wanted his attention. I just wanted him.

Eric never needed me, not really. He was always doing everything right. He would do the right thing, say the right thing, and be the right person. Sure, Daddy didn't approve of his attention to sports, but Eric always did everything with the family in mind. He didn't need my help with much of anything. Now that he has Sookie, he needs me even less. At least he's letting me help Sookie and getting her set up here, but he also hired Tammy, MaryBeth,Mary Beth and Claire came to stay with them. She really doesn't need me for much of anything.

No, nobody really has needed me. That is until Franny came into my life.

I fought my emotions for her for so long. I made us both so miserable for so long. Hell, I think I knew I loved her from the moment I met her. But I didn't want to. I didn't want to love anyone. Loving someone took too much work, too much responsibility, and left you open to too much heartache. If I'm honest, I was afraid to love anyone. I was afraid to open myself up like that. Look at my family, everyone I loved had gone away. I didn't want to put myself out there again. Okay, Mommy and Daddy didn't have any say in leaving me, but they left all the same. If I had my way, I would have closed myself up nice and tight and not let another person in. That was before Franny. She just seems to have broken down every defense I've ever put up. Not that I'm unhappy about that. I love the fact that I have someone to share my life with.

I loved meeting Sookie at LSU. I can't help but be surprised that Eric hadn't told me about her sooner. But let's face it I wasn't very approachable for some time after Daddy died. I was busy trying to make myself numb with everything and anything around me. All you had to do was pick up the nearest rag mag and see me doing one foolish thing or another. Eric knew what I was doing. I was being the same spoiled, selfish brat I'd always been. I didn't care one bit about getting my face in the papers. I didn't care if what I did reflected poorly on Daddy, Eric, or even the company. I just wanted to be numb. That is when I met Franny, and things got really interesting.

Franny wasn't the first woman I had been with over the years. Hell, there were nights I couldn't tell you who or what I had been with. The booze, drugs, and constant partying all started to meld together. Nothing felt real. Nothing felt alive. I was moving, laughing, having fun, but it felt like it was happening to someone else. Franny changed that. I'm not sure if she knows just how much she changed me.

I was angry at first. I didn't want anyone to care for me. Oh sure, friends cared about my name, what club I could get them into, and, of course, my money. But no one cared about me. Franny wanted to just be with me. She didn't care for the party scene. She only came out with us a few times, but she was working the events and didn't have time on her hands like I did. She would try to get me to just stay back with her from time to time. Sometimes I would, but it wouldn't last too long. It was way too close for my comfort.

I hurt her. More times than I could count, I hurt her. I wanted her to just be another face in the night, another blip on my radar. But she wasn't. I knew it and so did she. She wanted the real me. Not Eric Northman's sister; not the party girl. Not the poor little rich girl that lost her folks. She wanted me, just as I was.

We went on like that for some time. I would move one step closer to her and then run three steps back. When she finally gave me the ultimatum, I was so scared that I would lose her. She was serious this time. If it wasn't for Sookie, I probably would have lost my Franny. No, I won't ever be that stupid again. I found my soulmate in Franny, just like Eric did in Sookie. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her. If holding her together while she deals with this is what she needs, then that's what I'll do. If being strong and making the tough decisions are what she needs, then I'll do that. I'll do anything I can to help her, to help us. Hopefully, everything will be okay. If not, I'll hold her until it is.

"Ms. Pam," Sampson says. I look up from where I'm sitting with Franny into the tall man's face. He gives me an apologetic look and nods his head at me.

"This is Detective Johnnas and his partner, Detective Marshall," Sampson says. "They would like to speak with you."

I nod my understanding and look at both the men. "I'm Pamela Northman," I say. "Please have a seat, detectives."

"Miss Northman, we would like to speak with both of you separately, if you don't mind," Detective Johnnas says to me pointing first to me and then to Franny. Her response is to huddle just a little closer to me.

"Actually I do," I say to him as I wrap my arm tighter around my love. "My partner just witnessed her brother being shot after wielding a gun at both of us. She isn't exactly doing well at present." Pam says.

"We also own a business together, but I'm sure you understand. I would think that if your wives or girlfriends had gone through the same thing, you would be reluctant to have them away from you."

Detective Marshall is about to say something but Johnnas looks at him, and he sits back. Guess Johnnas has the bigger brass ones on this team. Either that or he's the superior of the two. I may have to remember that.

"We will do it your way for now, Miss Northman," Johnnas says. I nod but don't say anything so he continues. "Do you know why Mr. Quinn would accost you and his sister?"

I shake my head. "I've no idea what got into Quinn. I hadn't seen him much all evening."

"Why don't you tell me what happened," he says to me.

I nod and tell him what happened since we saw Quinn on the street. When I'm done, both detectives look at one another.

"Do you know where he was coming from?" Marshall asks me.

"I would assume the event," I say to them.

"Do you have any reason for him to approach you tonight?" He asks. "Was there something he needed to discuss with you?"

I shake my head. "I…I know he wasn't happy about our relationship. But I…I don't know why he would decide talking to us on the cold dark street, at this time of night, was productive."

"There must be a reason that Mr. Quinn would come after you this particular night," Marshall says. "Weren't you all at a club or something tonight?"

I look up at him. "It was the Gala fundraiser for the city's literacy program. I hadn't seen Quinn for more than a few minutes all night. Franny did a brilliant job of putting together a wonderful night. I know the program will be very pleased," I say and kiss the side of her face.

"Miss Quinn," Johnnas continues. "Do you have any idea why your brother would be willing to shoot you or Miss Northman tonight?"

She shakes her head. "My…my brother wouldn't have hurt anyone," she says softly.

"Miss Quinn, it is in my experience that people do not pull out a gun if they don't intend on using it," Marshall says.

She shakes her head. "I don't even know where he got the damn thing. Quinn has never owned one and I have no idea why he would have one now," she says softly.

"Had you and your brother discussed anything this evening that would cause him to want to harm you?" He asks.

Franny shakes her head. "No matter what my brother and I had discussed, it wasn't anything that would warrant him harming Pam and me. Whatever was wrong, I know that he would have stopped before anything bad happened."

"Miss Quinn," the detectives begin but are quickly interrupted.

"Detective," Sampson says. "The ladies would like to go down to the hospital and check on Ms. Franny's brother. If there is nothing else, I think we should leave."

Both detectives look at us. "Ma'am I don't think it is a good idea for you to go near Mr. Quinn right now. He will have some of our men guarding him until such time as we can move him to be processed."

"What?" Franny asks.

"Ma'am, your brother will be charged with several different infractions. I suggest you stay as far away from him as you possibly can. If you would like a restraining order…"

"I don't need a restraining order for my own brother. Now, if there is nothing else, we need to get to the hospital. I am his only living relative. I need to be there."

Johnnas looks from Sampson to Fran and me. "Just one…" He looks at Fran again. "Would this be in any way financially driven?" He asks.

"I…I don't understand the question." Fran looks from the Detectives to me. "Pammy what does he mean?"

I shake my head and look at the two men. "I think you need to clarify yourself, detective."

"I mean, was there anything that was going on in your brother's life that would force him to harm someone for financial or for other gains?"

She shakes her head. "Officer," she begins.

"It's Detective." Johnnas responds.

"Fine, Detective. My brother is upset. I don't know why or really care at this point. He is my brother, and I would like to go to the hospital to find out if he's okay. Once we know he's going to make it, then you can ask me these stupid questions."

"I think that will do for now," he says with a smirk. "But I would like to speak with your staff at E(E)E and look into what your brother has been up to."

"You will have to speak to my brother about his business." Fran says.

"I was under the impression that you and your brother had joint ownership." He says.

She shakes her head. "I'd decided that I was going back to my smaller venues. This was my last event with E(E)E." She says.

"When did you inform your brother of this?" He asks.

"Tonight, now can we go?" She asks.

"Yes, you are free to go," Johnnas says and looks at Sampson. "We may need them for further questioning."

Sampson holds out a card. "If you need either of these women, please contact the family attorney." He says.

The detective, who I'm sure told me his name but I forgot raises an eyebrow. "The Northman family attorney?" He looks from me to Fran. "I see," he says, but I can tell that he thinks he sees more than is really there. "We'll be in touch." Turning to his partner who is still sitting.

"Carl," he says. "I think…" Marshall tries to say but Johnnas interrupts him.

"Let the ladies get to the hospital, Detective. We know where to find them."

Marshall looks at both of us, the security in the room, and then to his partner. "Yeah, well, I don't like this." He says and gets up, walking out without even a backwards glance.

"Thank you for your time." Johnnas says. "We'll see ourselves out."

"Can…can we go to the hospital now?" Fran asks. I pull her close and look at Sampson.

"I have the guards waiting and have already spoken to your Aunt. They will meet us there."

I nod. "Call Eric when you can too. I know he and Sookie are probably asleep. But I…"

Sampson nods. "Understood, Ms. Pam." He says.

I help Fran up so we can go check on her brother who, if the guards hadn't been back to look after us, would have killed me or even both of us. I'm going to have to thank whoever called the guards back on. Guess they were right; we really do need some protection, even when life isn't going in five different directions. Gotta love when the staff is smarter than you.

***0***

Johnnas's POV

I walk out and see Marshall standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"What was all that about." He points at the door. "You didn't ask them a damn thing!"

"The women are in shock. They had a gun pointed at them," I say and move around him to walk back over to where the other officers have been waiting for us.

"Bull shit." He says.

I turn to look at him. "Got something to say, junior?" I ask him. Yeah, I've had ten years on the force and I'm partnered with a detective who is still wet and green. Fuck my life.

"That's total bull shit. You know as well as I that John Quinn was seen with Paulie Tesoro not three days ago. He's back in the city, and Paulie is reported to be in Atlantic City. You know there is a fucking connection, and that little girl in there," he points to the door, "is our key to finding it out."

"You don't know shit," I say to him. "What are you going to do? Go in there and ask that little blond chick if she knows her brother is mixed up in the racket? What proof you got? Tesoro was at some political function at The Sands. Shit, half of DC elite were there. You going to accuse half of the senate of being in bed with Tesoro too?" I ask him. "You know that Tesoro doesn't get too close to the action, ever. If this has his name on it, then I don't think that it was Quinn calling the shots."

"You know I'm right Johnnas!" He yells at me. "This is our fucking town. If we can get information we could…"

I laugh. "You looking to bring down Tesoro?" I ask him. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Even if that girl knew something, even if Quinn has a connection to Tesoro, what then? You think Quinn is going to give it up? You think Tesoro is going to roll on the big bosses?"

"You know as well as I do that Tesoro has connections with Chicago. Hell, there is even talk that he has connections with some shit out of Hong Kong. You can't tell me that you want to let a chance like this slip through our fingers."

I shake my head. "Do you know who that other woman is in there?" I ask him.

He shrugs.

"That is Pamela Northman," he says. He stares back at me. "Shit, boy, don't you read the papers or watch the news?" He shrugs again. "That girl's brother just took over the family business from their aunt. Hell, the Northman Family have been Manhattan royalty as far back as anyone can remember. They sit right up there with the Roosevelts, Vanderbilts and the Kennedy families. You don't know what you are talking about if you want to run in there and accuse those women of anything. Shit, boy, if Tesoro didn't take care of you, you would be lucky if you were bumped to meter maid when the Northmans got done with you."

"So maybe they are in on it too, you know. Shit, the Kennedy's weren't as lily white as everyone thought. Every family has skeletons in their closets," Marshall says. "Fuck, that could be a way that Tesoro is moving his shit…"

I grab him by his shirt collar and push him up against the side of the wall. "Listen here you little piss ant. Shooting off your mouth about shit you don't understand ain't the way I roll." I move a little closer. "You are so eager to make a collar that you are barking shit you know nothing about. That is the way you get yourself killed." I let him go.

"Fuck you, Johnnas. You know that Quinn is in bed with Tesoro. Don't tell me you don't."

I shake my head. "I got no evidence to support that. All I know is what I'm told and what I find. I ain't going to walk into this situation halfcocked with a hunch, boy," I growl at him. "I have been on this force for over ten years. I ain't about to get one in the back of the head because you were running off with your mouth. We work the case. Right now, we got John Quinn, shot on the streets of New York by two of the Northman family body guards after the gun was turned on them. Self-defense, plain and simple. Now we got to build the case against Quinn. We work the case in front of us. If evidence presents itself with regard to Tesoro we will deal. Until then, keep your fucking mouth shut, and do your damn job. You so hot to play in Tesoro's pool, transfer to Vice."

I turn to walk back to the car. "If you are done," I say to him. "I want to get to the hospital and check on our perp. He should be checked out by the doctors by now. We can find out how long it is until we can book him."

"Detective," I hear behind me. I turn to see one of the officers walking toward me. "There is something else you need to deal with before you go." He says.

I sigh and walk toward him. "What is it?" I ask.

"Ummm, well…" He says.

"Out with it, officer." I say.

"Sir, they just found a woman up in her what do they call them? Those Condos at the Plaza." he says. I nod and he continues. "She was found by her friend. Gunshot wound. If the girl didn't show when she did, she would have bled out."

I look around. "I don't see any more cars?" I ask him.

"That's because they are down in the parking garage." He says.

I look at him waiting for him to continue.

"The manager of the Plaza didn't think it would be good after the night's events for cop cars to be seen out front." He pauses. "And because of who it was."

I sigh. "Who was it?" I ask.

"Ummm," he looks at the pad he has in his hand. "It…it appears to be Meredith Black, sir. Her husband is some big finance dude."

I sigh and start walking toward the Plaza. "Where is the girl?" I ask him. "She's in one of the bedrooms waiting for you," he says. "There's something else."

I stop and wait.

"There…there was a suicide note."

Marshall grumbles something, but I don't give it any mind. I just want to work this shit, write my report and get home. It's been a long fucking night.

***0***

Setto's POV

If we didn't have enough to worry about, now we have a crazy relative and her child to contend with. This day just keeps getting better and better.

I only just started gathering intel on this Hadley Norris when she shows up out of the blue. It's kind of ironic. But you know what they say, speak of the devil and they shall appear. I look over at Hagan and he nods. Nope, he doesn't trust her any more than I do. Until we are certain that she doesn't mean harm to any of the Northmans, she will be under a tight watch. These two have enough to deal with. They don't need another lunatic in their path.

"Ms. Norris," I say to her. "We will take you over to the Avalon and see that you are settled."

"I…" She looks from me to Sookie who is still holding the child. I can tell by the look on her face she's not sure what to do. She keeps looking from Sookie to me and then to the baby. She has stopped looking at Eric. Not sure why that is, but I will think on that later.

There is no way she's leaving here with that baby. She may be sincere. But I wouldn't put it past her to use that little one for capital gains. I've seen her type before. Hell, I've dealt with her type before.

"I don't know…" she says softly.

"Hadley, please, let us take care of him," Sookie says softly. "You can come over first thing in the morning."

Sookie looks toward me, making sure that I know her wishes. I nod to her. "We will make sure Ms. Norris gets to wherever she needs, Ms. Sookie."

She smiles. I certainly can tell why Eric is so taken with her. She reminds me so much of his late mother. Not so much in her looks though, she does look like her. But there was something fragile about Barbara. As if she was going to fall apart any moment. No, Miss Sookie has fire in her. She is a perfect match for Eric. No, it's in her manners and her spirit that she's like Barbara. Yes, they each possess the same spirit.

"See, Hadley. You can sleep, eat, and when you're rested, you can come over and we will be waiting for you. After you get a good night's sleep, we can discuss all of this," she says with a smile.

Hadley looks around the room. I am thinking she is assessing the situation but can't seem to make a decision. If she's conning us, she will not want to leave without the child. If she doesn't want us to be suspicious, she may leave without him. Or she could be genuine and know that this is the best place for him.

She nods. "Oh…okay," she says. "My car…"

"We will take care of your car." I say to her.

I motion to the door. "Your bags are waiting in the limo. We will drive you over to the hotel and bring you back when you want."

She looks from Sookie to me. "I…I guess that will be okay."

Hadley stands. Eric and Marybeth assist Sookie as she gets up to meet her long lost family.

I watch as Hadley hugs her cousin and then kisses the top of the baby's head.

"I'll be back in the morning." She says.

Sookie smiles. "Relax and sleep." She says and touches the older woman's face. "Everything looks better after a warm bath, a cup of tea and a good night's sleep."

Hadley smiles. "You sound like Gran." She says.

Sookie returns the smile. "That woman was the smartest one I've ever met."

Hadley smiles again. "Wasn't she, though?"

Eric motions for Hadley to join him, and he and I walk her to the door with three other guards.

"Pl..please take care of them." Hadley says softly to Eric. "She is such a good person. I wish I got to know her better."

Eric nods. "She is the most wonderful woman I've ever known. You would have enjoyed her, I think."

Hadley looks around Eric. I follow her eyes to see Sookie is rocking slowly and cooing at the little one. I turn back to this Ms. Norris. A peaceful look creeps over her face. She nods softly and turns to get on the elevator.

Once the door's closed, I look to Eric.

"I want everything on her by morning. I want Lancaster and Lance here first thing with the papers for that woman to sign. I want this done quickly and quietly." He says to me.

"You are allowing this?" I ask.

He turns and looks at Sookie. "You honestly think I'm going to say no to her? Look at her." He motions to his fiancée. "She is born to be a mother. I am not taking that away from her." He turns back to me. "I want to know what has that woman so scared. I want everything out in the open before we agree to this. But make no mistake," he says softly. "If Sookie wants that baby to be a Northman, then a Northman he shall be."

I look at the man standing in front of me. For one single moment, I see Andrew Northman more evident in his son than ever before. The words are almost like hearing a tape recording of over two decades ago. I hope, for Eric's sake, that this ordeal works out better for him and his bride than it did for Andrew and Barbara.

I nod. "There is another matter that we need to discuss." I say to him.

He looks back at Sookie who is still cooing at the little one. "Can this wait until later? I need to spend some time with…"

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Spend some time with your family, Eric." I say to him. "We will discuss this later. Nothing is more important than what is in that room."

He nods and goes to return to Sookie. I motion for the other guards to follow me. It's time we allow the little family to have some time alone.

***0***

Bill's POV

I watch as she walks out of the building with three men. Her hair is down and I honestly can't see much of her. But she looks…God….she looks so….so….like she should coming from a small town. I watch as she wraps her arms around herself over her light jacket. Shit, Northman couldn't even give her a warmer coat. It makes no never mind to me. I will make sure she gets what she deserves. Yeah, but she will have to earn it. Could that be why she's leaving the loft at this hour of the night? Could he have thrown her out? I smile at that. It will make my job that much easier if he had. Yeah, that would be easier. She'll know where she belongs after this. Hell, she may even welcome coming with me. Either way, she will be mine before too long.

I watch as she is escorted to a car and two men get in with her. They pull out into the evening and I follow. The car is old, I'll admit. But Edith's husband took care of it. It will get us where we need to go. Then we will work on building our life. Just my Sookie and me.

***0***

Jonathon's POV

I walk into my loft and sit down on the long couch. I hear someone behind me but I don't bother to move.

"Is it done?" I ask as he comes into view.

Lok Sou, my second, makes his way so I can see him. He isn't as tall as I, but he is ten times more deadly. My father insisted that he join me in America to assist with any issues that may arise. I doubt my father thought that Lok would be assisting me in dealing with my male lover. No, that would never cross my father's mind.

"It is done." He says.

"Where is the body?" I ask him.

"Does it matter?" He asks. I look up to see one of his eyebrows raised in question.

"I suppose not," I say to him, "as. "As long as nothing is traced back to us."

He smirks at me. "I have been doing this a long time, Jonathon. You must trust that I will be proficient in my tasks."

I nod. "I am aware of your skills Lok. That is not my concern."

He sits down across from me. His suit is as neat and as tidy as it was earlier. Crossing his legs he leans on his elbow with a very stoic look on his face.

"What is it?" I ask him.

"Your father has suggested that you no longer oversee the shipments." He says to me.

I stand. "Since when do you speak to my father about my affairs?" I walk over to the bar and pour myself a drink.

"Your father believes that you should separate yourself from the day to day operations." He says. "It is a fine line that you walk, Jonathon. You walk the thread between two worlds. Your father does not wish to see either destroyed."

I laugh at that. "My father does not wish to lose the financial gains of either side."

"That would be accurate, yes." Lok says. "Even so, you are his only son." He stands and comes to stand beside me. "You have a duty to uphold to your father and your family. Being in on the day to day operations of the shipments would be," he pauses, "problematic if things were to go bad," he says. "Or if others overheard discussions."

I sigh. "Does he know?" I ask and take another sip of my drink.

"If he did, you would have been dead already. Your father wants you to be his replacement when he dies. You must think of your family."

I spin on him. "Do not talk about things you have no business talking discussing." I say to him.

"Your father thinks you have been here too long. He believes you have lost your focus. He asked me what I thought." Lok says.

"What did you tell him?" I ask.

"I told him that you were a stag, sowing your wild oats... that you are ready now to take on your responsibilities." He pauses. "He is willing to take my word on this. He believes you are ready for the next step. With that, comes separation from the work that could kill you." He says.

"It also means that he wishes me to move forward in other areas of my life." I growl at him.

"Will it be so bad?" He asks.

I shake my head. "I will not give up my life." I say.

"No one is asking you to. Your wife will know her place. She will not question you." He says.

I huff again. "When is she arriving?" I ask.

"After the new year. She will be traveling with your sister and aunt. Preparations have all been made." He says.

"I suppose that preparations for a middle man have also been made?" I ask.

He nods. "You will be meeting with them by the end of the week."

"Fine, I'm going to bed. Who is dealing with the shipment tonight?" I ask.

"I've sent Kan and Lin to deal with it. All is well. You will have much to do in the upcoming months. You know your father wants to broaden the legitimate interests as much as possible."

I nod and walk away from him. He may be here for me but he certainly is in my father's back pocket.

"Sleep well, sir." He says to me.

I can hear the smirk in his voice. I say nothing and walk out of the room.

***0****

Mitch's POV

Shit, my head. I go to sit up. Looking around, I see that I'm in the sitting area of the suite that Amber got for us. Never in my life have I gotten to stay in such a fancy hotel. Shit, I've only been in one hotel in my life and that was junior year of high school when we were picked to play in New Orleans. Damn that was a great year. Stackhouse really came on that year. He was the best quarterback in the state. He really did a number on any team that came against us. Shit, we were unstoppable.

Who knew then that Jason Stackhouse was batting for the other team? If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I would have never believed it. Shit, that boy got more tail than any of us. How did he do it? I mean, shit, I don't understand much about that whole scene, but Crystal was like, damn fuck hot. How could he give that up for some of that…God, I can't believe it. I mean Lafayette Reynolds? Damn that is just, I don't know even what it is.

I do know that boy high tailed it out of town faster than you could think. He knew better. Shit, we were planning on giving him one hell of a beat down. Not only because he was a fag but because he kept it from all of us. Damn, we showered with that boy. Damn we showered with both of them. Good thing we didn't know about Stackhouse back then. Yeah, the two of them would have gotten a beat down that they would never forget. Shit, if either of them shows up in Bon Temps again, I'll make sure they know they aren't welcome. Then I'll go get me a little piece of his sister, just for good measure.

Speaking of which, who does that bitch think she is? First she keeps all of us hot and bothered for years. Not giving one of us the time of day. Well, she was friendly enough, but you would have thought that girl wore a platinum chastity belt the way she acted. Then she comes home, after making me wait years for her with some ass. Who the fuck does she think she is? She thinks she's that much better than us? Well, when Amber is through with Sookie and her man, she will be running scared right back to Bon Temps. Then she'll be sorry. Yeah, Amber will take care of it.

Speaking of her, where the hell is my little bitch? That girl is one hell cat in the sack. Shit, she is good at what she does, says something about these big city girls. They sure know how to take care of business.

My head is pounding. I don't remember getting back to the room. Some guy sat next to me in the bar while I was waiting for Amber. I didn't know him but he was talking a blue streak. All I wanted to do was get out of there. I finished my drink and the next thing I know, I wake up here. As much as I've drunk over the years, that sure hasn't happen before.

Getting up, I call out to the room for Amber. "Girl, you in there?" I ask. "Shit woman, I've got a head as big as the Grand Canyon. You got any aspirin?"

I walk toward the door. When I open it, I stop at the scene in front of me. Amber is on the bed with her eyes wide open looking at me, except she has a third eye right in the middle of her forehead. It ain't the blue of her eyes. Nope it's black, a perfect black hole in the middle of her head. Her eyes, her cold dead eyes are looking right at me.

"Amber," I say quietly. I wait a moment. She says nothing. "Amber," I say again. Walking a little closer, her dead eyes look right past me as if she sees someone in the room. It makes me feel funny, but I try to ignore it. I walk a few more steps into the room when I hear something behind me. Before I can turn to look, everything goes black.

***0***

SPOV

I watch the baby as Eric walks Hadley out. This is just, well amazing. This baby feels so right, so perfect in my arms. I've never experienced this before. Granted, not many people I knew had babies, but I've held my fair share over the years. I did babysit when I was younger but this, this feels different.

"Sookie, honey," Marybeth says. "Why don't you come on back over here and sit down." She says. "Young Alexsander will need to finish eating."

I nod and walk over and sit back on the couch. As Marybeth gives me the bottle, I get the strangest feeling in my breast and over my shoulder. It feels like a pull but it's something more.

"Is everything okay, Sookie?" Eric asks as he walks back over to us. I nod without taking my eyes off the baby.

"Eric, I want to call Dr. Ludwig. I want to make sure he's okay." I say to him.

"Sookie, it is past midnight. Do you want me to call her now or wait until morning?" He asks.

I finally pull my attention away from the baby and look at him. "If she'll come, I'd like her to look at him tonight. I know that it's a little selfish of me but I just…"

"Sookie, it isn't selfish," Tammy says. I look at her and smile. "You are worried about the baby and want to make sure he's okay." She comes in behind the couch to look at him. "Any mother would be worried about their little one. You just got him, and you want to make sure that everything is okay."

I look up at Eric. "I know we didn't discuss this but…" I look back at the baby. "I know that we had plans, and the first baby wasn't planned. Never mind this one." I shrug my arms.

Eric sits beside me and pulls me closer before I can finish my thoughts. "Sookie," he says softly. "You…you are so beautiful. You are caring, loving and the most wonderful creature I've ever laid eyes on. Watching you….watching you with the baby, it's just…words can't describe what I'm feeling right now. If you want to keep him then I'll do everything in my power to make that happen."

I look from the baby to Eric. "What is it?" He asks me.

"Could…Could you love him?" I ask softly. "Even not being yours….could you love him?"

He smiles at me, that soft, beautiful smile that he only gives to me. "Sweetheart, who says he's not going to be mine? He will be ours. I will love him and raise him just like any others that come our way."

"Are…are you sure?" I ask.

"Sperm doesn't make you a father, Sookie. It's the least part of it." He says.

I smile as he leans in to kiss me. Sander makes a noise that causes us both to look down and smile at him.

"I'll call Ludwig now," he says to me. "If she can't help us, perhaps she'll know who can."

I nod and turn back to the baby. He is drinking so enthusiastically, you would think he hasn't eaten in some time. I watch him and get the same feeling in my chest. I hope that the doctor can come tonight. Not only do I want her to check out Sander, but I want her to make sure that I'm okay too. We are going to be responsible for this little one and another before too long.

Well, so much for taking it slow. Eric and I have gone from zero to sixty in less than a year. What is going to happen next? Only the Goddess knows the answer to that. But seriously, did everything need to happen instantly?


End file.
